Thanks Dan, I'm inclined to do a simple re cap with high quality parts, then brace and refinish the cabinets... original finish was a gray paint. I may paint or even veneer them. Then the horn could really use to be damped, pondering how to do that attractively. Still wonder if its all worth my time.
Altec A7 What to do
Hello all, a Friend of mine has had Altec Lansing A7's sitting in his basement for several years, just couldn't put them in his current room setting. Many may know that I've been building for about 35 years. I built him a set of MTM's and delivered them for Christmas. He was thrilled. Well, today, he dropped off a pair of A7's and said they're yours. I sat them up and listened, thoroughly looked them over, looked up crossover design (500hz model) and now need to decide what to do with them. I have a decent size living room, but these are still huge. They do a lot of things right, but just aren't as refined as my current speakers. So, I've decided to sell them. I'm in no hurry to do so, but I know that I won't keep these forever. So, are these more desirable to sell as is... stock, upgrade parts in the crossover and sell them, redesign and trick out the crossover, cleanup, sand, minor fill and painting cabinets or some combination of the above. I have no doubt that a complete crossover redo, a bit of cabinet bracing and a good refinish and these babies would be incredible. The problem is... will people that don't know me accept or trust just how good they are? That being the case I'm looking for some advice. Please tell me how you would handle it in my shoes. Tim
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keep 'em. Get over how much floor space they take up. I have similar sized speakers stuffed with Altec parts, just like the A7. But with a 13 cubic foot IB enclosure, just with 2 416a woofers. My listening room is small, about 13x13x8.5. I enjoy the heck out of them. They don't need much power and with a sizeable map, say 100 wpc or so do a great job on all kinds of music. I do have mine bi-amped and have a home made passive crossover, coils made practicly out of unobtanium today. They could be duplicated. That much power with a system in the 100db/1 watt/meter is extremely dynamic. But they can be blown, your ears will burn at the same time. Some people may say the range is too restricted, but I say listen to them first. |
The horn can be damped, which has a nice effect on the midrange! There may be beryllium diaphragms available too. The originals are aluminum and have some breakups which make them less detailed and harsher. If so, these are the people to contact: http://materion.com/Products/Beryllium/BerylliumAcoustics.aspx The best amps for this applications are typically lower-powered tube amps- you don't need much to make these speakers sing. |
Thanks Ralph, yep, I've damped many a horns, but these are exposed and I'll either need to cover them or figure out some way to make them look reasonably attractive. I typically like butyl tape on these, but that would look terrible. As far as the diaphragm, I haven't pulled it, but I would have to assume that it is Aluminum, my buddy bought these in 1969. |
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